ATHENA SWAN SILVER AWARD FOR SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL SERVICES

Keele's School of Physical and Geographical Sciences has had its prestigious Athena SWAN silver award for excellence in recruiting and progressing women in science, engineering and technology (SET) renewed for a further three years.

The award was presented by Professor Dame Julia Higgins, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, at a celebratory lunch at the Royal Society in London. The event was attended by representatives of more than thirty higher education institutions and individual departments that were successful in the latest annual application round.

The award was collected on behalf of the School by Dr Katie Szkornik (School Athena SWAN champion) and Ximena Canter (Faculty Business Manager in Natural Sciences), pictured above. The award is in addition to the University's Bronze Award status, which was renewed in 2009, and the School of Life Sciences' Silver Award status, which was first awarded in the same year.

PEACE PRIZE FOR KEELE RESEARCHER

Dr Richard Stephens, Psychology, was one of four researchers from across the UK who were honoured for their work at the annual Ig Nobel awards ceremony at Harvard University.

The "Igs" are awarded to scientists whose work makes people laugh first, then think. The prizes celebrate the unusual, honour the imaginative — and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology. The ceremony, hosted by the Harvard-based journal Annals of Improbable Research, took place last week, with the prizes handed out by real Nobel laureates.
 
The peace prize was awarded to Richard Stephens, pictured, and co-authors, former psychology undergraduates Andrew Kingston and John Atkins, for confirming that swearing relieves pain. Richard, who began the study after striking his thumb with a hammer, found volunteers could tolerate more pain if they repeated swearwords rather than neutral words.

CHEMISTRY AT KEELE – DIAMOND JUBILEE

In celebration of 60 years of Chemistry at Keele, Professor Harry Heaney, of Loughborough University, a graduate of the University, is to give a lecture at the Lennard Jones Laboratories next Wednesday, 13 October, at 4 pm.

Harry arrived at Keele on the 14 October, 1950, as one of the very first undergraduate intake to the then University College of North Staffordshire. Harry is pictured here in the research laboratory as a postgraduate in 1957, with Professor Gurnos Jones, who went on to become head of department in 1983. Chemistry at Keele in the 21st Century is in vibrant health, with record numbers of undergraduates, allocated additional HEFCE student numbers, and a new HEFCE funded undergraduate teaching laboratory.

Former students or friends are welcome. For further details contact Professor Jones:  gurnosj2@aim.com.

AUDIOVISUAL COMPOSITION AT INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

An audiovisual composition, 'Patah', by Dr Diego Garro, Research Institute for the Humanities/ Music Technology, which was premiered at the Sonic Arts Oxford festival in February this year, will be screened at the Phoenix Square Digital Cinema in Leicester later this month.

'Patah' has also been selected for screenings at the Cinesonika International Film and Video Festival of Sound Design, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, in November. In a venture into the world of visual arts, a still frame from 'Patah' will be exhibited at the Contemporanea festival, as part of the "60x60" exhibition of pictorial and graphic arts, Udine, Italy, later this month.

STROKE IN STOKE AND BEYOND

Professor Christine Roffe, Medicine, this week gave the opening lecture in the University's programme of Inaugural Lectures for 2010/11. The lecture, "Stroke in Stoke and beyond", showed how the management of acute stroke has developed, and highlighted how excellent clinical care and clinical research work together to improve outcome after stroke.
 
The other lectures in the series are: Tuesday, 26 October 2010, Professor Jonathan Healey, Applied Mathematics, "Instability: making waves"; Tuesday, 16 November 2010, Professor Val Wass, Medicine, "Globalisation: the educational challenges of human diversity"; Tuesday, 7 December 2010, Professor David Shepherd, Cultural Theory, "The Theory of Culture and the Culture of Theory"; Tuesday 18 January 2011, Professor Nadine Foster, Primary Care Health Sciences, "Challenges and Choices: Musculoskeletal Health in Primary Care"; Tuesday, 22 February 2011, Professor Gordon Ferns, Medicine, "A fire that burns within: the impact of free radicals in health and disease"; Tuesday, 15 March 2011, Professor Clare Holdsworth, Social Geography, "'A degree isn't enough anymore': Student experiences and orientation to HE"; Tuesday, 10 May 2011 Professor Krysia Dziedzic, Primary Care Health Sciences, "Best evidence for best therapies in osteoarthritis".

FIRE IN THE FOREST

Dr Peter Thomas, Life Sciences/ Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics, has published a book on forest fires with Rob McAlpine, who leads the Science and Technology Group of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Canada.  Published by Cambridge University Press, this full colour book is aimed at undergraduates but also the non-specialist reader with an interest in understanding the science and policy behind the seemingly devastating fires seen in graphic detail through the media.

Using non-technical language, and many illustrations, Fire in the Forest addresses questions about forest fires such as: What determines how intensely a fire burns; How destructive or beneficial are forest fires to wildlife; How are forest fires controlled and why does this sometimes fail; Will climate change lead to even more scenes of destruction on our TVs?

The book draws on the fire management experience of Rob McAlpine and the ecological research on forest fires that Peter started with his PhD in eastern Canada.  Peter has carried on research on forest fires in many parts of the world since, ensuring that the book has a global outlook.  This is the third book on tree/forest ecology that Peter has published with Cambridge University Press.

SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY INTERNATIONAL VISITOR

During a visit to the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Dr Ayten Demir, from the University of Ankara Turkey, met staff and students and was involved in teaching a number of students. She also visited clinical areas and met nursing staff within the University Hospital of North Staffordshire. There has been exchange of staff and students between the Faculty of Health Studies at Ankara University and the School of Nursing and Midwifery and plans are in place to develop joint teaching and research projects.

POET LAUREATE ENDOWS KEELE POETRY PRIZE

Keele today announced a prestigious new poetry prize, endowed by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, pictured below.

The Roy Fisher Prize for Poetry, named for the veteran Midlands poet with a long-standing connection to Keele, will receive annual funding during Carol Ann Duffy's 10-year Laureateship.

The competition is open to all current Keele students, and is a pamphlet competition, with the prize being the publication of a pamphlet of the winning poet's work.

The competition will be judged by a panel of writers from inside and outside the University.

Deadline for submissions will be late November, with the winner announced before Christmas. Details are available from Jim Sheard, English.

COURTS AND CONVICTS

Scholars from the UK and Australia last week attended a Wellcome Trust and British Academy funded two-day symposium on `Courts, Convicts and Penal Welfare`, hosted by the Research Institute for Law, Politics and Justice.

Criminologists, historians, sociologists, health care researchers heard papers on legal and court culture in the British Empire, prisoner's health, and a variety of other papers on penal welfare in the 18th and 19th centuries (which will be published next year).

On the final day participants agreed to meet regularly to discuss their research, and to collaborate on research grant applications.

Professor Barry Godfrey, pictured above, has been offered a funded Fellowship at the University of Tasmania to continue collaborations with Australian scholars.

PERFORMANCE SOLD-OUT

Joe Stretch, who lectures on the Pop Lyric module in English and American Literatures, released his second album this week with his band Performance.

The new album, called Red Brick Heart, is available on I-tunes.

To mark the release, the band embarked on a short UK tour with fellow Mancunians, Hurts, which culminates in a sold-out show at The Shepherd's Bush Empire tomorrow night.
 
Joe, pictured above, recently wrote a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' audio novel, called 'Don't Let Go', to promote Hurts's debut album. Read by the actress Anna Friel, it can be found on Spotify.
 
 To listen to an album sampler click here.

COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE AWARDS

Around 300 people attended the North Staffordshire Community Healthcare annual awards held in Keele Hall.

The awards, which recognised excellence, took place in the ballroom and the guests, who enjoyed a buffet meal, were entertained by a local orchestra.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

This week 56 years ago -

6 October 1954

Professor J W Blake has been appointed Vice Principal of the University College, Keele. He succeeds Professor F A Vick (Physics) who has been Vice Principal since the College received its Charter of Incorporation in 1949.